ALBUM REVIEW: LEVERAGE Give You “DETERMINUS”
LEVERAGE have finally returned with their first full length album, “Determinus” in 10 years !! A welcome return indeed from these Finnish rockers. With elements of STRATOVARIOUS and BROTHER FIRETRIBE fused within their unique sound they still manage to possess a modern slant and take on 2019 rock /metal which is a massive plus side. I remember picking up a copy of the 2006 release “Tides” and thinking then that they are have a knack of writing some catchy songs, fast forward 13 years and 2 more albums “Blind Fire” 2008, “Circus Colossus” 2009 and were bang up to date, With a new singer “KIMMO BLOM” and new guitarist “MIKKO SALOVAARA” joining the 4 remaining band members, fingers crossed the fresh members will push the band on either further.
BURN LOVE BURN
With its intro of falling rain and a gentle plucking acoustic guitar that soon gives way to a layered keyboard, a heavy fast pace track which gallops along with some powerful vocals incorporating different ranges and styles and is a fine introduction from “KIMMO BLOM” with so much going on with a creepy keyboard section mid way through when the whole pace is dropped to a crawl before a lovely flowing guitar solo which starts off in a very melodic style before speeding up into something that STRATOVARIOUS would be proud of.
WIND OF MORRIGAN
This song starts with what can best be best described as a Irish jig before its tempo moves along with a hint of HELLOWEEN and a chorus that is huge and very catchy. The track works a treat with more Irish elements added through the duration although a heavy song its ebbs and flows showing the full width of the groups genre defining approach to metal.
TIGER
Starting off with a distorted sounding drum beat, this track soon settles down into a full on crunching rock track very much in the ACCEPT format with a formidable vocal performance the song itself sounds like classic German metal. The back bone is once again the keyboards that keeps the song moving along why the dual guitars provide a formidable sounding crunch on this traditional sounding metal song.
RED MOON OVER SONORA
A fabulous song title with its haunting intro that settles down into a mid tempo track with gentle backing humming from the other members, this band know how to write a solid sounding tune, RED MOON OVER SONORA is worth the album price alone it has so many elements running through its 4 and a half minute duration. I cant think of anything I have heard this year that is so damn catchy and for good measure you can hear in the background the dual guitars getting impatient for a piece of the action and before too long they gate crash the party resulting in a a triumphant end result.
AFTERWORLDS DISCIPLE
If you like your metal to sound classic then look no further than this cracking with elements of DIO, this is a monster. Nothing frantic just mid paced but full to the top with great riffs and more fine vocals, another nice touch is the doom filled mid section with gentle acoustic guitars, the group have thrown everything and the kitchen sink into this track and can never be pigeon holed into just one style. The album so far shows so many different elements and influences, which keeps the listener on their toes and eager for more.
HAND OF GOD
Another song that I have picked out for special mention, with its faster pace hurtling along, and again that amazing confident voice and driving beat, I find myself having to play this track a few times to take in all that is going on its just full of wonderful Spanish style guitar and even Spanish hand claps ( No Joking ) how they have the vision to add all these textures and little extras is beyond me, but it works so well. Don’t be put off because this track just rocks and proves that a good sounding rock song just does not have to be crash, band , wallop.
ROLLERBALL
More old school classic sounding rock, this flows along with all the band members laying down a reliable simple rock track with another quiet mid section and then back to the main riff of the song with a section towards the end where the the vocals are copied by the guitars in harmony another lovely touch from a band that do not do half measures. In Total there are 11 songs on this release all marrying a love of classic 1970s rock along with many of the modern sounding big hitters such as STRATOVARIOUS and hints of HELLOWEEN, a very welcome return of this brilliant band and easily without any doubt whatsoever the best release of their career to date.
Determinus is out on 26 April 2019 through Frontiers Records
Review by Steve Bruty
First published on Metal Planet Music
Lineup: Kimmo Blom – vocals | Mikko Salovaara – guitars | Tuomas Heikkinen – guitars | Sami Norrbacka – bass | Valtteri Revonkorpi – drums | Marko Niskala – keyboards
